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'aus t LYMAN B. PRINDLE, OF LITCHFILD, CONNECTICUT.

Letters P atcnt No, 76,942, dated/1pm? 21, 1868.

IMPROVBD RAILROAD-RAIL.

dts Segnale referat ta iu there fitta's @giant mit mating niet at tigt sana.

T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, LYMAN B. PRINDLE, of the town of Litchfield,l and county of Litchfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Continuousor Endless Rails; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact deseriptionof` the same, reference being had to the drawing accompanying this specification, and forming a part of the same, and to the figures and letters thereon, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improved rail as laid.

Figure 2, a perspective view of the chair to accompany the same.

Figure 3, a vertical cross-section ofehair and rail; and

Figure 4, a vertical cross-section of a modified'form of chair.

My invention relates to au improvement in `the form and construction of rails forroads over which cars are to be run; and it consists in making what is called an endless or continuous rail, together with the chair in which it is supported, in such a form that the rail may be reversed, the under edge being substituted for the upper, when the last shall have become worn so much as .to make it necessary, thereby increasing the length of time a rail will last at least to twice that of the ordinary form of rail now in use.' i

The improvement is equallyadapted to rails of either steel or iron, and, when used with the chairs fitted for it, the whole forms a continuous rail of great strength, on which an engine and train of cars may be run without the disagreeable noise and jolting now so common on our railroads, and which tends so greatly to the discomfort of the passengers, and, by the constant jarring, tendsto wear out the rail and cars much faster than they would upon a perfect rail.

By the use of my invention, the jolting caused by passingover the joints of the ordinary rail, which, not

having near the strength of the other portions, will settle more or less, will be stopped, and thereby the trainVI will run more steadily, require less power, and render every part more durable, als it is well knownlthat there is hardly anything so destructive to the engines and rolling-stock of the cars as this constant jarring and jolting on an uneven rail. v i

To remedy this, a rail shouldhe capable of retaining its position in a straight line while s. train is passing .over it, have no yielding joints, and, at the same time, it should be constructed so as to be'readily and easily repaired when necessary.

To accomplish this is the object of my invention, and in order that others may understand its construction and operation, I will particularly describe it.

A A, fig. 1, represent the two halves of my rail in position, as when laid for use, and the same are shown in section at lig. These halves are made exactly ono'lihe the other, and, as seen in iig. 3, are wider at one edge than thcother. When put together, the narrow edge Aof one half is put upwards, and the wide edge of the other, so that they form together a rail nearly square in section, havingthe two opposite corners slightly rounded o ti. On the two sides of the rail, a groove, a, fig. 3, is cut, which receives the key b, of wood or iron, or a corresponding projection-on the inner face of the chair, (fig. 4,) by either of which it is held in its place. The rails are so placed in the chairs that the upperronnded corners are on the inside, and on this inner portion of the rail the car-wheelsrun. The chairs, B B, in which the rail is secu-red, are shown in figs. 2, 3, and 4. They are made of iron, cast-in the shape represented, and arc secured to the ties by spikes in the ordinary manner. From the base of the chair arise two lugs, C and D, the inner faces being at right angles with the base of the cohair, and at such distance apart as to receive the rail between them. That part of the chair which lies against the outer part of the rail (as atC) is made of a height about equal to the depth of the rail,so that when the rail is placed in the chair, the two will be of the same height, as shown at fig. 3. The otherl lug, D,

is only about one half the height of C, as much lessstrain comes upon that, and it only need be of height and i strength as will serve to retain' the rail in its sent in the chair. On the inner face of the lug C, va groove, c, is cnt or cast, as shown in fig. 2, at the same height from the seat of the chair as the corresponding groove in the rail is, and in the cavity thus formed a key, b, of wood or iron, is driven, by which the rail is retained very firmly in its seat. If desired, in theplaceof the groove c, a corresponding projectionmay be cast, (see fig.v4,)

which will t into the groove of therail, and then the key b may be dispensed with. Inlaying the rails, a chair is placed at each joint, or where the two ends of the halt' rails come in contact,zand when the key is driven in its place, or the key being dispensed with, the projection on theinner face of the lug C, in the groove of the rail, a. verystrong joint is formed, so that there 'is of the two parts a continuous rail formed, oi`.suiicient strength to bear any ordinary Weight, without bending or yielding in the leastp t V Y This compound'rail, having its top and bottom edges similar, is capable of beug`ievei'sed, when the upper edge shall have become worn, and, when the key is used, these repairs may be made quickly and easily, without.

disturbing the chair, as, by simply driving out the key, the railmay be lifted from its seat in the chair, and a single length canbe taken out at any time, and another substituted in its place, without-,disturbing any other portion of the rails, thus greatly facilitating the making of the necessary repairs, and lessening the expense of the same--a great desideratum, and one, it is believed, not attained before in any form of continuous rail known.

Having thus described the construction4 and operation of rny invention, what I claim as new, is` A continuous reversible rail, with its accompanying chair and key, constructedsubstantially as herein set `forth and described. i i

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name in the presence ofi- LYMAN B. PRINDLE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES B. ANDREWS, JOHN H. HUBBARD. 

